Rensselaer, NY – Neural Stem Cell Institute Hosts Summer Student Research
Each summer, the Neural Stem Cell Institute (NSCI) proudly hosts high school and college students who want to try their hands at stem cell research. Students from across the Capital District (and beyond!) complete research projects in the areas of stem cell biology, spinal cord injury, and development of therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. Principal investigators and postdoctoral fellows mentor the students on research techniques and methodology, so they have a better understanding of how to perform scientific research and address important questions with rigor. Lab manager of research Susan Goderie, who has overseen the NSCI summer student research program for many years echoes this sentiment. “I feel it is important to expose young students to the scientific method at work in a laboratory, as they may well become our future researchers fighting debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s,” she said.
This year, ten students spent their summer at the NSCI, representing Lake George, Guilderland, Bethlehem, Colonie Central, and Shaker High Schools as well as the Academy of the Holy Names and the University of Rochester. Dr. David Butler and Dr. Taylor Bertucci organized a culminating symposium for students to present their work. Students prepared 10-minute talks and fielded questions about their work. Dr. Bertucci, mentor of several summer students, said of the event, “It was a great opportunity for our summer research students to practice presenting a research project to an audience of scientists and I was especially impressed to see how much they were able to accomplish and learn during their internships at NSCI.” It was a fantastic morning of presentations from our hard-working students, followed by a lunch reception.
The NSCI would like to acknowledge the many mentors at the NSCI, including Drs. Sol Torruella and Shrstha Sinha from the lab of Dr. Hill for supporting young aspiring scientists! “Mentoring students in scientific research benefits both the student and the researcher. In addition to getting hands-on experience in the lab, students also get a chance to develop critical thinking skills. Likewise, it offers the researcher the opportunity to gain science communication skills,” said Dr. Butler. Congratulations to all the summer students for their fantastic work and presentations!
The Neural Stem Cell Institute serves as the research arm of the Regenerative Research Foundation (RRF), a 501c3 non-profit organization founded in 2005 by Drs. Sally Temple and Jeffrey Stern.